Former French PM slams Sarkozy as smear trial opens

PARIS – France’s ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin lashed out at Nicolas Sarkozy as he went on trial yesterday on charges of plotting to smear the president in a showdown between the old foes.

‘I am here because of the will of one man, I am here because of the dogged determination of one man, Nicolas Sarkozy,’ he told reporters before entering the courtroom.’I will come out of this a free man and exonerated,’ he said, adding that ‘I know that truth will prevail.’Dressed in a navy blue suit, the 55-year-old Villepin looked relaxed as he took his place before the judges of the criminal court along with four other defendants in the politically-charged case.Dubbed the trial of the decade, the judicial drama features a Who’s Who cast of big names in politics, industry and intelligence circles, beginning with Sarkozy, who is a civil plaintiff in the case.Villepin, a suave diplomat whose stirring speech against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 drew applause at the United Nations, is accused of complicity in defamation and using forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust.Villepin’s four lawyers were expected to ask the Paris court to remove Sarkozy from the list of civil plaintiffs, arguing that his status as president seriously undermines their client’s right to a fair trial.Sarkozy registered as a plaintiff in 2006 to gain access to the case files and secure his right to seek damages as have 39 others including Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund.Judges are expected to take several months to reach a verdict after the trial ends on October 23.Also on trial was EADS ex-vice president Jean-Louis Gergorin, who has admitted to leaking the bogus list to investigators, and Imad Lahoud, an ex-EADS employee, suspected of falsifying the list.Management consultant Florian Bourges is accused of stealing Clearstream documents and journalist Denis Robert, who broke the story, is charged with dealing in stolen property.Among the star witnesses are several former spymasters including Yves Bertrand and General Philippe Rondot, whose notes – seized by investigators – detail his secret meetings with Villepin about the Clearstream affair.Villepin is expected to take the stand next week, defending himself in the same Paris courtroom where Marie Antoinette was sentenced to the guillotine in 1793. – Nampa-AFP